Welcome!

2010 Linclon Day Dinner.

Republican Senate candidates.

These are the five Republican candidates running against the senator-in-tennis- shoes, Patty Murray. They will be competing in the primary election later this Fall. Take some time to study each candidate and decide which one would best represent you and the people of Washington State. link

Rick Ryan (GOP) announces he will run for Mason County Assessor in 2010.

Memorial Day 2009 Picnic.

Community involvement.

Glenn Beck at Safeco Field.

Mason County Republicans were among those who attended an event sponsored by Evergreen Freedom Foundation featuring Glenn Beck.

Interviews with the candidates running against Patty Murray.

Steve Beren had the opportunity to interview all five candidates, one on one, no holds barred, spending an average of two hours with each candidate. He has posted articles about each of the five interviews on his blog at RedCounty.com. Here are the links to all five interviews. Chris Widener | Craig Williams | Art Coday | Sean Salazar | Clint Didier

How Are YOUR Representatives Voting?.

Interactive Congressional district map link

TrueLobby.

• Communicate with your elected officials
• Find and track legislation
• Increase your political influence
• Join forces with your community
• Improve the democratic process TrueLobby is a Government Portal that promotes meaningful, efficient dialogue between elected officials and the public they govern.

Your Legislators.

Legislative Hotline: 1.800.562.6000
Contact your Legislators. Tell them what you think. The 2010 Regular Session is scheduled to begin on January 11, 2010.

Legislative links.

Pre-filed bills | Bill info | Legislative calendar

The Legislature in action.

The TVW site is a great place to see visually how the process works. I have added a link to a video where HB2669 & HB2708 were being discussed on the floor and a roll call vote was taken on each. View the process on HB 2669 & HB2708 at link

Submitting testimony/testifying at legislative hearings.

If folks cannot make it to Olympia to testify, they can send their comments/testimony in writing to the committee chair and their legislators. Contact information for legislators can be found here. Committee member information (so folks can find out who to send their comments to) can be found here. Testimony sent in writing should include:

The bill number the issue is related to;

A brief explanation of why you support or oppose the bill; and

How the bill would impact your life/business, etc.

For those testifying in-person at a bill hearing.

Make sure your comments are succinct, meaning make your points in 2-3 minutes. Telling a long story or getting sidetracked may mean you get cut off - particularly if there are lots of people signed up to testify. The chair may limit your testimony time to ensure everyone has an opportunity to weigh in on the bill, so be prepared to state your case, give a personal note of the impact of the legislation and whether you support or oppose the bill quickly. I recommend folks that get nervous write out their testimony and read it - again 2-3 minutes max. They can then leave the written script with committee staff so it is kept in the record and all members of the committee will receive a copy from staff. Talking points from business groups and others may be available for folks, which may help folks formulate their messages.

Be sure to alert your local legislator that you will be in town to testify.

Whether they serve on the committee you will testify in front of or not. You can request a meeting with them that same day and even give them a copy of your testimony. They use your comments to help them formulate how they will vote on bills and can even use it to relay a story from in-district during floor debate. If folks aren't sure who their legislators are, here's a great tool to find out.